Summoning magic is a rare, advanced form of magic that allows a mage to call forth magical beasts they've formed a contract with to fight alongside them, somewhat similar to Celestial Spirit magic. The key difference lies in how they function: Celestial Spirits continuously drain a mage's magic power while in the human world, and their strength depends on the mage's own magical reserves. Summoning magic, however, only consumes magic at the moment of summoning, and the summoned beast's power isn't limited by the mage's strength.
Another trait of this magic is that the stronger the beast, the more magic it takes to summon. And since this beast was created by Kira, its power was nothing to scoff at.
The Wind Weasel was a snow-white, humanoid creature standing on two legs, about 40 cm tall, with a single, razor-sharp eye. Instead of claws, its hands were twin scythes. Though it looked like a living magical beast, it was actually a pure mechanical construct, animated by a special magical item that allowed it to follow Cana's commands.
After Kira revamped Cana's card deck, he gifted her this: the Wind Weasel, born from her original "Hurricane" card. Its attack power hadn't increased much, but its autonomy had skyrocketed. Now it could interpret commands, strategically strike enemies, and even dodge attacks, acting like a true battle partner.
"So this is the summoning card Kira was talking about?" Cana mused, eyeing the tiny weasel with curiosity. "It's kinda small, but pretty cute."
Before she could examine it further, the weasel spoke in a cold, emotionless voice: "Detecting current enemy. Enemy identified as guild member. Activating [Guild Battle] mode."
Cana blinked, dumbfounded. "Guild battle mode…?"
The Wind Weasel was lightning-fast. The moment it hit the ground, it locked onto its target, then whoosh—it vanished, leaving only two trails of dust in its wake.
"Where'd that weasel go?" Elfman wondered aloud.
Suddenly, he felt two wind blades slice at his back. He spun to block, but the weasel was nowhere to be seen.
Rip!
The blades tore through what little remained of his shirt, though they didn't do much damage. Elfman, currently imbued with the soul of the Beast King, had incredible defense.
"Ow, damn!" Elfman yelped, startled. "Why does it hurt so much? There's no wound, but it feels like I got slashed!"
"Pain without wounds…" Cana muttered, piecing it together. "So that's what [Guild Battle] mode means?"
"Man, Kira has some weird tastes. Where does he even pick up these ideas?" she grumbled, a shiver running down her spine at the thought of Kira having some odd, secret hobby. But she quickly shook it off—now wasn't the time for that.
Elfman's burly frame and brute-force fighting style were well-known to Cana, an old teammate and rival. She opted to avoid direct clashes, weaving nimbly to dodge his heavy punches while directing the Wind Weasel to strike.
The two were evenly matched, locked in a tense stalemate.
Meanwhile, Erza and Mirajane's battle had reached a fever pitch.
Erza, the fiery red-haired knight, was clad in chest-high armor adorned with iron wings, wielding twin silver swords while hundreds of blades orbited her. The "Fairy Queen" was a living weapon, slashing fiercely at her opponent.
Mirajane, the wild white-haired demon, sported dark wings and a long, sinister tail. Her hands morphed into demonic claws, and her revealing red outfit barely concealed the dark red magical runes covering her body.
They clashed from the ground to the sky and back again, their swords and claws sparking with each fleeting collision. The contrast between Erza's holy white-armored knight and Mirajane's dark, savage demon created a mesmerizing blend of purity and corruption, laced with thrilling, violent beauty. Every move captivated the audience, tugging at their emotions.
Though they were enemies in this moment, blocking each other's paths and fighting fiercely, the joy on their faces was unmistakable. It was the thrill of seeing a family member and comrade rise again, the excitement of facing a worthy rival.
"Go, Erza!"
"You've got this, Mira-chan!"
The crowd was completely engrossed, especially the men, who couldn't tear their eyes away. And who could blame them? One was the renowned Fairy Queen, the other a sizzling cover girl for fashion magazines. Their popularity was off the charts.
No one paid much attention to Laxus, trapped like a caged beast, or to Wakaba, petrified by Evergreen and likely out of commission until the match ended.
Among the six teams, the White and Black Teams were nearing a decisive outcome. The Yellow Team had split into two groups, but Laxus, stuck in the middle, was immobilized and out of the fight. The Red and Green Teams were locked in an unexpected clash, with nearly all their members tied up. That left only the Blue Team, who had yet to engage in combat.
Before entering the valley, the Blue Team had huddled to strategize.
Mystogan, Gray, and Lucy were among Fairy Tail's sharper minds. They knew that fighting on three fronts would put them at a disadvantage, especially with Kira' White Team on their left and Laxus' Yellow Team on their right.
"If we focus on defense and hit the Red Team as fast as possible, we might have a shot at winning," Mystogan said succinctly, his usual laid-back, almost indifferent tone fitting his reserved personality.
His lack of confidence left the other four uneasy. Warren and Macao knew their combat skills were lackluster. Lucy trusted her Celestial Spirits but was inwardly nervous. And Gray, the strongest of the group, wasn't exactly brimming with optimism.
"You sure about that? We're up against Erza," Gray said, his fear of her well-known in the guild.
"Why don't we just hold our ground here and wait for the Red Team to come to us?" Lucy suggested. "If we stray too far from our territory, we risk getting ambushed from behind. If the Red Team attacks, they won't send everyone. We could face four, maybe even three of them with our five. That's a chance to turn the tables!"
Macao frowned. "What if the White or Yellow Teams send someone to sneak attack us?"
"Hmm… what if we try teaming up with the Black or Green Teams?" Lucy proposed.
"Forget whether they'd even agree," Gray countered. "To reach either team, we'd have to take the middle path, which takes too long. And the Green Team's one thing, but the Black Team? You really think Natsu and the others can hold off Kira?"
Lucy fell silent. Gray was right—Natsu, Gajeel, and Juvia stood no chance against Kira. But wait… if Kira beat them, didn't that mean he wouldn't come for the Blue Team?
"No need to worry," Mystogan interjected, unusually talkative today. "The other teams have their own strategies. Laxus and Kira are both competitive—they'll likely focus on attacking their assigned enemies themselves to secure victory. If they send anyone to steal our crystal, it'll be one or two people at most. We can handle that. Let's follow Lucy's plan and hold our ground here."
With that, he found a spot, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest, ignoring the others.
The remaining four exchanged glances, silently thinking, This guy's way too chill…
"That's just how he is," Gray muttered with a sigh.